The first sign Lisa Colbert noticed was a dinghy adrift.
She estimates it was around 8 or 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, and she and three friends brought it ashore to prevent it from being damaged in …
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It took nearly an hour for a U.S. Coast Guard tugboat to hook onto a sailboat in the waters off Port Townsend Jan. 17. Photo by Kirk Boxleitner
The first sign Lisa Colbert noticed was a dinghy adrift.
She estimates it was around 8 or 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, and she and three friends brought it ashore to prevent it from being damaged in the rough, choppy waters west of the Port Townsend Boat Haven.
The dinghy had come from a sailboat that was still out on the waters, but Colbert couldn’t spot any hands on deck, even with her binoculars.
As it turned out, the sailboat was occupied, and shortly after 11 a.m., a U.S. Coast Guard tugboat had arrived to tow it to shore, although the waters remained turbulent enough that it took the tug nearly an hour to hook onto the sailboat.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Klingenberg, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard, explained that the sailboat had been dragging anchor due to sea conditions, and its crew called in a Coast Guard tug in the interest of safety.
“There were no injuries,” Klingenberg said. “There was no emergency. They did this so there would be no injuries or emergency.”
